Ivy Says x Magnolia Bakery = The Holiday Edition

I can’t begin to describe just how happy and giddy Christmas times makes me. The decorated trees, the classic jingles, the ornaments, the mistletoe, the all-around holiday cheer, it really gets me into the festive spirit. But what I really look forward to the most this season is not counting calories. That’s right, I write off the entire month of December as a cheat month and I allow myself ~~some~~ A LOT of extra guilt-free happy pounds. So for me Christmas isn’t Christmas without the works, and when I say works I mean, the cupcakes, sprinkles, cookies, brownies, icing, frosting and all things sweet!

Having said that, I think I speak for many people when I say it also isn’t just about Christmas eve dinner or lunch but the many many pre and post dinners and get togethers that we get invited to throughout all the way up to New Year. And this year I found the best solution to the sort of gift I’d like to bring along to dinners and invites, to be quite frank, I think the bottle of wine and the typical Christmas buche de noel have been slightly overdone, though I understand they’re traditional, I also know that many of us resort to them when we really don’t have all that time to get more creative. So the lovely folks at Magnolia Bakery have have taken it upon themselves to help us find something more fun, flavorful and original this holiday.

The YULE LOG CAKE

Yes, no Christmas dessert table is complete without the buche (log cake) but Magnolia Bakery have placed their signature touch on this favorite and released their own gorgeous version of this otherwise classic cake. Feast your eyes on the Yule Log Cake, which I’m obsessing over by the way, available for the first time this year, this pretty dreamy cake is iced in the shape of a log, and comes in either chocolate buttercream or blue pastel vanilla buttercream (such as the one I’m holding) with layers of either vanilla, chocolate or red velvet. It adds such a vibrant touch to any dinner table and will without a doubt be the star attraction.

The Holiday Baskets

You can get these in small, large and medium and they most definitely won’t go unnoticed. I personally love dynamic gift baskets that make you go through contents with intrigue and excitement and this one does just that. We’re talking a carefully selected set of Magnolia’s holiday inspired baked goods, from crinkle cookies, gingersnap and cranberry cookies, coconut macarons, blondie bars, winter cupcakes in a box, Meringue Drops, Magnolia aprons,to cake knives, aprons and tea tins. You can take things up a notch by also adding on an optional bottle of either Moet & Chandon Henessy V.S.O.P. or a bottle of Baileys. And if you’re in the mood to do things your way, you can always customize your own basket and fill it whichever way you like.

What’s Bakin

So many holiday cookies. So much beautiful packaging. Oh and the ingredients are also intended to keep you cozy and warm in the cold. The new Winter Spice Cupcake is made with cinnamon, nutmeg and dried cherries topped with maple meringue buttercream. But my personal favorite which had me gushing over had to be the Maple Pecan Pinwheel Cookie; a new flavor made of a shortbread dough swirled with maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. I’m starting a petition to keep these babies all year-round.